The Hydrogen Stream: Hygenco to set up green hydrogen, ammonia project at Tata Steel SEZ’s Gopalpur Industrial Park

Hygenco has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tata Steel Special Economic Zone (TSSEZL) to establish a green hydrogen and green ammonia project at TSSEZL’s Gopalpur Industrial Park in Odisha. Hygenco aims to produce 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of green ammonia from this plant in different phases. It aims to commission the initial phase of the project by December 2026.

Hygenco, which develops and deploys green hydrogen and green ammonia assets, commissioned India’s first green hydrogen project in Hisar, which was inaugurated earlier this year. It is looking to invest $2.5 billion over three years to set up green hydrogen projects in India.

Amit Bansal, Founder and CEO, Hygenco, said, the produce from the green ammonia plant at TSSEZL’s Gopalpur Industrial Park, in the initial phase, will be exported. Advanced discussions with various off-takers are already taking place.

NTPC has invited bids for green hydrogen generation from municipal solid waste or agri-waste using plasma-based gasification. The project will be located at NETRA, NTPC Greater Noida. The scope of work includes engineering, procurement, fabrication, supply, construction, erection, commissioning, field quality tests, performance guarantee test, and operation and maintenance of the plant at NTPC-NETRA.

The European Commission has awarded €720 million to seven renewable hydrogen projects in Europe, selected through the first competitive bidding process under the European Hydrogen Bank. The seven projects were the winners of an oversubscribed auction that attracted 132 bids in total. Together, the winning bidders plan to produce 1.58 million metric tons of renewable hydrogen over 10 years, said the European Commission. The selected projects are located in Finland, Norway, Spain and Portugal. The companies submitted bids between €0.37 and €0.48 per kilogram of renewable hydrogen produced. The companies will need to sign the grant agreements by November 2024 and the selected projects have to start producing renewable hydrogen within five years. They will receive the awarded fixed premium subsidies for up to 10 years for certified and verified renewable hydrogen production. The projects will receive subsidies ranging from €8 million to €245 million.

Chile has presented its Hydrogen Action Plan. The document includes 81 measures to be implemented in two stages. The first, between 2023 and 2026, will define environmental and social standards. From 2026 to 2030, the second stage will include measures to industrialize the national economy through a productive and labor reconversion in different regions. “With this Action Plan, Chile has great opportunities to make a leap towards a more diverse, productive, and innovative economy,” said former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

Cleanergy Solutions Namibia, a joint venture between Belgium’s CMB.Tech and Ohlthaver & List (O&L), said they will put Namibia’s first hydrogen refueling station into operation in the fourth quarter of 2024. “With this Cleanergy Green Hydrogen Site, we are channeling over a century’s worth of innovation to ignite a revolution in renewable energy,” said O&L Chairman Sven Thieme. Cleanergy Solutions Namibia will team up with CMB.Tech, the Port of Antwerp Bruges and Namport to launch the first hydrogen-powered ship on the African continent. CMB.Tech said that the hydrogen production plant is the first phase of a five-year plan, along with several projects in Namibia, including ammonia bunkering, pipelines, and large-scale hydrogen and ammonia production.